Planning to drive on your holiday?

Don't get caught out when hiring a car. Many companies now require you to provide a unique code before driving away on your holiday.

No more paper counterpart Driving Licence

Now that the paper counterpart Driving Licence has been scrapped, there's a new way for you to share important information about your Driving Licence and driving record.

No longer do you have to dig through piles of paperwork to find your paper counterpart, you can simply acquire a code from GOV.UK and hand it to whoever needs to check your details.

When you hire a vehicle

Some car companies are happy just to see your photocard licence or your pre 1998 paper licence. However, some will want to find out how many points you have on your licence before handing you the keys.What's needed varies from company to company, so it's important to check before you pick up your car.

How to obtain your unique code

If your car hire company wants a code, you can get one online at GOV.UK. This is just one of the growing number of DVLA services available digitally. Others include changing your name and address with the DVLA, and renewing your licence.

Your unique code will be valid for 21 days from the date you obtain it, and can only be used once (this helps protect your privacy).

Registering for GOV.UK services

When you register for online government services, you'll need to have your identity verified through GOV.UK Verify.

GOV.UK Verify uses certified identity verification companies like us to check that it's really you logging in and not someone pretending to be you.

Why CitizenSafe?

We've been checking identities since 2003, so when you choose us to run your check, you'll get a simple and straightforward service from the identity experts. What's more, we put security at the heart of everything we do, so you can rest assured your personal information is in safe hands.